Sarah
This book was slow to start, and I half wanted to give up on it because it seemed like it was just trying to be another Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. And in some ways, it was. But in many ways, it was even better. The twist at the end felt much more satisfying to me than The Girl on the Train's. I felt like the author created a better narrator/main character. Nora was much more likable but just as unreliable. I like how she began to doubt herself and consider herself as a suspect because it made Nora's confusion more real. The structure of the novel was also cool because it jumped back and forth in the timeline with no clear indication of what was happening. It was confusing at times but really represented well how jumbled Nora's thoughts and memories of the whole incident were. Overall, I enjoyed this novel a lot more than I thought I would, and found that I liked it a lot more than The Girl on the Train. This one is worth reading if you're a fan of the genre.
Shit don't mean shit.
But really, I loved King's use of American literature and how he explored the profound effect literature can have on people. This wasn't as focused on Hodges, Holly, and Jerome as I expected. It seemed odd to have this middle book mostly focused on a new random storyline and then in the next book he will jump back to the same group from the first book.
It seems like this could have been a standalone in a way, or not a part of this Hodges thing. It didn't feel like it fit. But I really enjoyed it regardless of it feeling out of place.
I'm not really a fan of novels in verse, but I had to read this one for class. It was really good and all, and I can really see how this could be a perfect “gateway” book, if you will, for encouraging younger readers to get into reading. It's fantastic for what it is and definitely something I'd recommend to young readers and anyone who loves a novel in verse.
I was lured in by the thriller-y aspect and majorly disappointed to find that this was actually literary fiction. It was well written, but it wasn't for me.
I'm always a sucker for mental health graphic novels but this one's art just didn't do it for me
This book should have been way better than it was. I expected science and research, not this mysticism and anecdotal evidence she was masquerading as science. Waste of time, unfortunately.
This book has been my latest entertainment during my commutes to and from school. I wanted something funny after the depressing and violent Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. For the most part, this book was hilarious. Amy's commentary on everything from creepy old stuffed animals of hers to her love life to her crazy family had me laughing out loud to myself in the car constantly.
What I hadn't expected were the serious and sad parts mixed in. Amy talked about her Dad's struggle with MS, her relationship with her Mom, her sexual assault in her teenage years, and, very movingly, gun violence. I didn't expect the chapter dedicated to gun violence and the two girls killed at a screening of her film, but it was very moving and made me cry while on the expressway, which, for the record, I don't recommend trying.
I loved the chapter on being an Introvert as well, it was so wonderful to see such a prominent celebrity admit that they aren't super extroverted and social like celebs are “supposed to” be. I related so much to that chapter and it was so cool to know that even some celebrities are just as introverted as you are.
Overall, Amy's book was amazing. It was hilarious throughout, with some truly heartbreaking and devastating moments here and there. Amy always managed to bring a little humor into the sad parts, even when discussing her rape and her parents. I'm really really glad I read this and got to listen to Amy read it herself because it was such an insightful and humorous read despite the heavier moments throughout.
It was cool to think about TV shows in the context of film studies. I found it really interesting but would have loved to see this guy talk about Game of Thrones more (I'm biased, what can I say)
“To be too certain carries dangers of its own.”
The very last line of Mishkin's afterward perfectly sums up the problems with how the JFK assassination was handled. The Warren Commission was too certain they were right and refused to acknowledge the possibility of other explanations. Even though they very well might have been right, their false portrayal of certainty and unanimity about what happened caused only greater problems in the long run. This book doesn't seek to point the blame at anyone in particular for the assassination or provide a definitive answer to what really happened. Instead, it lays out all the evidence and tells everything about what was happening on all sides at the time. Never do we see what the authors really think happened, and it's a fairly unbiased look at the mess that this became. I've always been fascinated by the JFK assassination ever since I had to create my own “Warren Report” for a project in high school explaining what I thought really happened. I'll always be curious to know what really happened, and I'll always remember the first time I watched the Zapruder film in class. It amazes me how this assassination had such a profound effect on the world, something the author and illustrators highlight at the end of the book. We will never know what really happened, but it left a lasting impact on our country and still will for a long time to come.
Murray is the Bob Ross of writing. He makes everything so relaxed and easy to understand and he just wants you to enjoy writing. I wish I read this in my freshman writing class because it has changed my attitude toward writing and revising completely. Murray, you're fabulous. Thank you.
A decent ending to a fantastic series. I didn't like it as much as the first one, but it was still not bad at all! I was afraid there wouldn't be a happy ending but thankfully it ended okay. I really loved all of the characters in this series and am going to miss them all – Akiva and Karou, Mik and Zuzanna, and Liraz and Ziri among all the other seraphim and chimera. Overall, a good ending to an amazing series, and I'm happy with how everything turned out.
Not a huge poetry fan but Blake is cool (although some were a bit difficult and annoying to read)
I think I sent my boyfriend nearly every single one of these because they're just so accurate!
I loved the art and completely identified with most of the situations she illustrated but the ordering felt a bit wonky and it was unclear if it was going to have a coherent narrative throughout or just be a collection of introvert comics.
These guys were totally crazy but they had some ideas that were really ahead of their time
This was my first Stephen King novel and, needless to say, it was rather impressive. King's writing is fantastic and he just knows how to make things scary. I had just watched the film version of The Shining last week and decided I finally needed to get around to reading the novel. I really liked the film, but I think the book was even better. The film was a great movie in its own right, don't get me wrong, but I don't think it was a great adaptation of the book. Kubrick took too many liberties with the character of the Overlook Hotel along with Jack Torrance's character and effectively lost the main points of King's novel in the process. Kubrick essentially ignored the fact that the Overlook was meant to be a character of its own. It grew stronger and wilder with the presence of the Torrance family and Danny's intense ability to shine. The Overlook had clear motives and managed to gain control of Jack's mind and use him for its own gains. But the point was that Jack didn't actually go entirely mad or become a violent psychopath because of the cabin fever of the hotel. No, he just was possessed by the spirit of the hotel and used to go after Danny so that the hotel could absorb his powers, something that Danny stressed multiple times toward the end of the novel. Jack managed to fight back against the Overlook's possession of him by turning the roque mallet on himself in the end in order to save Danny and give him a chance to escape. Kubrick ignored that in his film and instead made Jack this insanely mad psychopath who went crazy from cabin fever and wanted to murder his family. While the film was very good and suspenseful, I just don't think it did justice to King's novel and the characters he created. I prefer King's version because it just was resolved far better and more satisfyingly than the film. While the film was really good on its own, I find it now to be a really disappointing adaptation and I understand why King was so unhappy with it. There is so much more to be said about the difference between the two; I go into that more on my blog (http://ijustneedbooks.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-shining-book-vs-film.html), but overall I really enjoyed this King novel and I definitely want to read more of his works.
Waaaay too short and not as much about PTSD as one would have thought. It was about one conversation with a guy and less about PTSD in general
Astonishing piece of writing about a completely unbelievable upbringing. Westover is a remarkable storyteller who paints such a vivid, horrifically real picture of her life so far. This is one of those books that will sit with me for quite a long time after finishing it.
I don't know why I bothered to read this. I was bored and it was free, so I said “why not?” but it was horrible. The writing was absolutely awful and the guy's grammar was a mess. I don't know how half of those mistakes were allowed to happen. Also, the guy was overly-opinionated and rude. I couldn't stand half the crap he was saying. This is probably the first and last time I'll read a free kindle book out of boredom, that's for sure.
It was interesting as an introduction to modern witchcraft and seeing what that looked like. Unfortunately Covid put a damper on a lot of Diana's plans and thus what we would end up seeing. I am curious what this book would have looked like in 2019 or now as we get further post-covid. I did find myself getting annoyed with the author at times when she seemed indecisive. I also thought that for all her attempts at cultural sensitivity at some points, at others she seemed to ignore that.
